TRT World - World in Focus: Past Weeks in Turkey Oct. 5 - 16

F-16 jets inIt all started with Russian SU-30 fighter jets violating Turkish airspace on Oct. 3. Two Turkish tercepted. The violation heightened the tensions between Turkey, a NATO member and Russia. Turkish officials strongly criticized the incursion and the Russian ambassador was summoned. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pointed out that the “rules of engagement are clear for everyone”. Russia explained that the violation was a mistake caused by bad weather. And the Russian Defence Ministry said the violation lasted only a few seconds.The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said it’s impossible for Turkey to tolerate such behaviour.NATO’s Secretary general Jens Stoltenberg called Russia’s action “irresponsible” and demanded an immediate explanation.

A few days later, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he’s prepared to co-operate with Turkey. A Russian military delegation visited Ankara to share information about the developments in Syria and the violation of the Turkish airspace, which Turkey has been demanding.

Deadly Ankara Attack

Then the came the bombings in Ankara... a twin suicide attack on a peace rally organized by labor unions that killed 102.After announcing three days of national mourning, prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited wounded victims in hospital.Security officials detained 43 people accused of being ISIS militants in raids in five provinces. Also Turkish authorities said they’re close to identifying the two suspects names. In the meantime, Erdogan made a call for solidarity against terrorism early in the week as he met EU leaders in Brussels. Erdogan had underlined PKK and PYD are also terror groups threatening Turkey, same as ISIS.

PKK Teror

While Turkish authorities announced that some of the detainees have connections with outlawed PKK, terror attacks of the organization continued. Five security officers in the country’s eastern region were killed.The killing of civilians by the PKK continued as well. A nine year old boy was killed by a hidden grenade while playing near a school with his friends in Diyarbakir. Four other children were seriously injured in the explosion. In separate attacks by the PKK, more than 40 security officers were also injured.The Turkish military said that air strikes against PKK camps resulted in heavy losses of militants and a large amount of ammunition and weapons were seized in land operations. The Turkish government seems likely to continue its military operations against the outlawed PKK camps. It’s been clear in what it wants: In order for the attacks to stop, PKK militants must put down their weapons once and for all..